My Brightest Diamond

When I saw Shara Worden play at the 930 a year ago, it completely blew my mind. She and underground remix darling Son Lux have done it again

These remixes from A Thousand Shark's Teeth are some of the best songs I've heard in a long time. Asthmatic Kitty is giving two away for free download. Please do yourself a favor and listen to these songs.

"To Pluto's Moon"
"Inside a Boy"

Cycling v. Skateboarding

Due to the tornado warnings and falling power lines Wednesday night, I had to leave my bike at work and was not able to pick it up until today. In the interim, skateboarding became my most effective means of transportation- well other than bumming rides of course. Although cycling has since eclipsed it, skateboarding was a large part of my life (and dare I say identity) in middle and high school and it was refreshing to do some pushing instead of pedaling for a while.

The whole ordeal inspired me to examine some of the pros and cons of cycling and skateboarding. Here's what I've come up with:

Skateboarding:

you can do it on the sidewalk

it is easier to carry up stairs

easier to learn tricks to impress the ladies

people never wear spandex when skateboarding


Cycling:

it's a heck of a lot faster

you don't develop asymmetrical leg muscles

doesn't have the adolescent connotations that skateboarding does

doesn't come to a screeching halt when running over a pebble.

also it's a heck of a lot faster.


So, what's the verdict?

Smile

Stateside

My internet access was limited the rest of my week in Thailand, so unfortunately my mini-series was cut short.  Suffice it to say that Thailand was ballin'.  Pictures should be up soon.

I managed to catch the second half of the Super Bowl with some ex-pats in Thailand.  The ending broke my heart but I was proud of my team, especially Larry Fitzgerald's phenomenal performance. 

In addition to ah-mazing Thai food all week, I got some delicious sushi with my new friends Aaron and Jay.  Eel, Maki, tuna, and all the green tea I could drink- delish. 

The only souvenir I brought back was a sun burn- which I really can't complain about since I got it from swimming too much, not exactly suffering in foreign lands. 

The customs officer pulled me aside for a "random" screening in Detroit.  Evidently they found my journal interesting because they read every page.  Incidentally the same thing happened to Paul when he came back from Thailand 2 years ago. 

Anyway, I am super jet lagged but glad to be back

Pattaya: Day 1

Quite fortunately my initial concerns about being unable to locate some Thai iced coffee proved to be unfounded, as I ended up having three yesterday.  Incidentally, here in Thailand one can just say "iced coffee".

Paint balling with the 3CKs was pretty hardcore. Team blue-gray sadly was not victorious in capturing the flag, but I had a couple really good kills so I walked away with my blood-lust satisfied. 

I almost went bungee jumping for 1600 baht, as my jet lagged, sleep deprived mind thought that was around 15 USD.  Thankfully I realized my error before I shelled out more than 50 bucks.  All the Russians free-falling 60 meters made it looked awesome though. 

Taryn's package is now safely delivered.  It's turns out all the hearts and unicorns Sarah and I drew on it kind of made it awkward after all.  Just goes to show one can't judge another person's sense of humor off of a Facebook profile picture alone. 

Time Travel

If you are in the US than I write this post from the future.  

The Pacific Ocean is sooo big.  This is my fifth trip to Asia but I think it gets bigger each time.

Anyway, I am staying in the middle of tourist land so it may be harder to get that iced coffee than I thought.

More later. 

Thailand

I am about to embark for the Land Of Smiles, where I will be for one week.

Goals:

Eating the best Thai food I've ever had

Drinking Thai iced coffee every day

Not buying a lot of useless crap like I have in every other country I have been to

Frozen

Sojournings: Psalm 18

This year at Sojourn Community Church we are working through the entire Old Testament, the two-thirds of the Bible that is largely neglected and misinterpreted in evangelical churches.

In addition to the sermon series, which is working through the major narratives and redemptive movements, most of the congregation is following the same OT reading plan, so by the time 2010 rolls around we all will have read the entire Old Testament.

This has already proved challenging, not only in keeping up with the reading but also knowing what to do with many passages that seem to be contrary to many presuppositions I hold about God, humankind, and the Bible.

For instance, Psalm 18:20-24 reads,

"The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight."

The writer of Psalm 18, David, seems to be suggesting that he has earned God's favor by being righteous, which is in direct opposition to a plethora of passages emphasizing that salvation comes through divine grace alone, such as Ephesians 2:8-9 or Galatians 3:11. Ostensibly, Psalm 18 seems to be an divinely inspired musician singing "I was good enough."

However, a careful examination of this passages prevents this interpretation. The Book of Psalms is a collection of collections- songs spanning throughout Israel's history. Psalm 18 is slightly modified from 2 Samuel 22, in which David composes this song of worship after God delivers him from being killed by Saul.

The significance? 2 Samuel is painfully blunt about David's numerous moral failures. Examined in its original literary context, it would be pretty difficult to believe that the people of God believed their King was morally blameless.

More so, later on in Psalm 18:31-32, the Psalmist reflects:

"For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless."

Clearly, in this verse David sees his own righteousness as a result of divine intervention. It is God who does the work of sanctification.

Ultimately this royal hymn can as be seen as Christological. It concludes in Psalms 18:49-50:

"For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever."

Just as David was God's anointed ruler over his people, so Jesus, descended in the line of David, was God's anointed one - which in Greek is christos, or Christ. Amazingly, David's own salvation would ultimately be found in his descendant.

This idea is beautifully captured in a song by The Welcome Wagon, "Hail to the Lord's Anointed".

Hail to the Lord's anointed, great David's greater Son!
Hail to the time appointed, His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break opression, to set the captive free;
To take away trangression and rule in equity.

Community Group Group Photos